"we have over 6,500 deposits on the model S" "We will deliver cars to customers no later than July of next year." "For Tesla, we do want to get to that region [$20,000 sedans] eventually." "With Daimler we're providing the battery pack for the electric smart car and for the E class Mercedes." "We developed something we call a Tesla Supercharger, which kind of recycles a term from the gasoline combustion engine world. It recharges the battery at over 100 miles every 20 minutes." "I think all transportation will go fully electric with the ironic exception of rockets."

Denis Vincent | 26 Octobre 2011

Statements coming from a "Rocket Scientist" and visionary.

Nicu | 26 Octobre 2011

It could be "A" class. His pronunciation is sometimes interpretable.

Volker.Berlin | 26 Octobre 2011

@Nicu, your are right and E class is probably wrong. Actually, from what I know, it should be B class. The new B class is specifically designed to support all kinds of alt fuel drive trains. The new A class is now a direct competitor to the 1 series, totally different car that original A class. The B class still has the minivan form factor which provides a lot of room for batteries in the floor and stuff.

Clearly Elon is not a fan of railgun technology. I am actually a little surprised that he isn't planning electric space launches.... maybe the capital cost of a giant railed tunnel up the side of a mountain is just too much for him. :-)

Robert.Boston | 30 Octobre 2011

I didn't see him talk about railgun, but rather the "space elevator" concept of Arthur C. Clarke, which relies on a strand of super-strong material connecting the earth's surface to a geosynchronous orbital platform. Sir Arthur is a great sci-fi writer, but there are some visions that are more likely to remain fiction than reality.

Mycroft | 30 Octobre 2011

The problem with the rail gun is the number of G's required. You wouldn't be able to include passengers and for Elon that would be a necessity.

jackhub | 30 Octobre 2011

NASA actually has a contract out for research on the space elevator. At thisw point they are investigating two options: carbon nano tubes and graphene sheets. Research in both of these areas has advanced rapidly in the last few years.

Volker.Berlin | 2 Novembre 2011

It's the A-Class: "We still expect to complete all deliveries under the Smart fortwo and A-Class programs on schedule by the end
of this year."

But an E-Class with a Tesla power train is not entirely unlikely, either: "We are also pleased to announce the receipt of a letter of intent from Daimler for a full powertrain program for a vehicle in the Mercedes line. Details of this deal remain confidential, but will be announced in the coming months."